Grimm Tidings
by Amycat8733
Summary: A string of suspicious deaths cause two worlds to collide as Team Sheppard and Portland's Grimm meet. Solving the crimes will take the skills of both teams and every ounce of courage they possess.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! Many of you are familiar with my Stargate:Atlantis stories. To those of you that are new, I hope you enjoy. I have the honor of posting the FIRST Stargate:Atlantis / Grimm crossover. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

Matt Brewer was a simple man. He'd grown up on this farm, married a local gal and they worked the land beside his folks until they died a few years ago. Now, it was just him because Suzanne had decided that there had to be more to life than just farming. She withdrew half the money in the bank accounts, took his mother's antique jewelry and the sporty car he'd bought her last year, and left. Her mother had called a month after Suzanne left to tell him that Suzanne had been killed in a car accident. Apparently she'd been drinking and ran off the road. The car burst into flames. They had to identify her by dental records. Mrs. Holloman told him what to do if he wanted to claim the body, at which point he told her that since Suzanne left him that he didn't want her back. Mrs. Holloman got so upset that she actually cursed him out before hanging up on him.

Looking out across the fields in the dim light of evening, he considered the future. He had left a good deal of the land fallow this year because he didn't have enough money to pay workers to help with it. Knowing it would only get worse, he was seriously considering selling the land. He turned to go back into the empty house when movement caught his eye. Squaring his shoulders, he decided to go investigate, figuring that it was some fool kid that'd broke in looking for drugs or something to steal. Too bad Suzanne had already beaten them to it. Reaching the edge of the porch, he peered around, looking for the source of the movement he'd seen. After circling the structure, he was about to go inside the house when an indistinct white shape floated across his view. He turned, watching the shape as it floated towards the woods. The shape faded at the edge of the woods. Looking around in disgust, he figured that it was probably just a wisp of fog and that his imagination was playing tricks on him. Just as he turned to head into the house a heavy hand spun him around to face the ugliest person he'd ever seen. The guy had long white hair and Matt would swear that his skin was greenish, but it was hard to tell in the low light. The guy leaned forward, grabbing Matt by the shirt collar and ripped it open.

Matt swung at his hand. "Hey, what'd you do that for?"

The guy hissed. "Because I hunger."

Matt attempted to shrug the guy off. "Well, if you're hungry, I can fix you something. Got plenty of food inside. What would you like to eat?"

The guy smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth, just as he placed his right hand on Matt's chest. "You."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Christine Appleton nudged the door to her apartment open, bags of groceries in each hand. She kicked the door closed, heading for her tiny kitchen. Depression set in as she put away her groceries. Everything was something that could be eaten as is or microwaved. Nothing had to be cooked and there had been a time when she would cook regardless of the time she got home. Those days were gone. Her boss was a prick; her job was now to do her own work and most of his while he screwed a succession of secretaries. He kept trying to get her to go out with him, but Christine knew that it didn't matter what he promised, he would never keep a single word.

A slight sound warned her that she was not alone. Turning, she choked out an attempt at a scream. A man with long white hair and a pale complexion, dressed in dark clothing, stood in the archway to her kitchen. Staring at it, she heard a voice command her to her knees. A cold hand tipped with sharp nails gently caressed her face as sharp teeth were revealed behind parted lips. As she knelt in her kitchen, she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound emerged as the man placed his hand over her heart.

Minutes later, the man walked out, the door standing ajar but no one was alive to care.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Many miles away, a copy of the police report from the Brewer farm crossed the desk of Captain Paul Hardy. He read it and grimaced. He took a deep breath then picked up his phone and dialed a private number. "General, we have a problem."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Detective Nick Burkhardt had just gotten started on his day's paperwork when Sergeant Wu walked in with a thick stack of files. Nick's partner, Detective Hank Griffin was right behind him with two cups of coffee.

Wu waved the stack of files. "Guys, this one is weird."

Hank handed Nick his coffee then dropped into his seat. "Weird, as in Ripley's weird?"

Wu shook his head. "Nope, weird as in Twilight Zone weird."

Nick shared a look with Hank. "How are they weird?"

Wu flipped open the top case file, flipping through a few pages until he reaches a stack of photos. Pulling one out, he handed it to Nick. "The victims all died of old age."

Hank snorted, leaning back in his chair. "That's not weird, that's nature."

Wu shook his head again and pulled out another photo. "Not when the victim was a 28 year old woman."

Nick took the second, laying them side by side. The first photo is of a red haired woman, taken at a party. In the photo she was vibrant, laughing and very healthy looking. The second photo was a contrast. The figure had faded reddish-orange hair and was nothing but skin and bones.

"Wu, how far apart were these pictures taken?" Nick asked, looking up at the Sergeant.

"Twelve hours. Her roommate discovered the body this morning. The ME is working on the autopsy right now and said she'll have something for you in a few hours." He split the stack of files, handing some to both detectives. "Meanwhile, here's your required reading. Have fun!" With a sarcastic grin, the Asian-American sergeant headed off.

Making sure the sergeant was out of earshot, Hank leaned across his desk towards his partner. "Do you think this is one of those cases?"

Flipping through a file, Nick shook his head. "I don't know. It could be, but something is off, I just can't figure out what."

The two settled in, flipping through files and making notes. The more he read, the greater the feeling in Nick's gut grew. There were a lot of things that didn't add up, and he had a feeling they were about to get worse.

Nick looked at his watch as he set another case file aside. Noting the time, he stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "Hey, Hank, it's time. Let's go see what the ME has for us."

Hank stood, stretching as he grabbed his own jacket. "Gotcha." He glanced at his partner as they headed for their car. "Nick, this is one crazy case. There are so many inconsistencies that it's not funny."

"I noticed." Nick waited until they were in the car before he said more. "There are some things that are very consistent though. All of the victims died of old age, there were no signs of break-ins and they all had odd marks on their chests near the heart."

Hank cut his eyes at his partner. He felt strange having to ask the next question, but it still needed to be asked. There were times, though, that he longed for the days when Nick was just a very good detective with a keen eye and a well-developed spidey sense. "Do you think it's a _wesen_?"

Nick stared out the window, lost in thought as he ran through the wesen he knew of. His answer, though honest, did nothing to assuage his partner's unease. "I have no idea."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Colonel John Sheppard was enjoying a peaceful day. He was happily married to the greatest woman in two galaxies with three beautiful children. Atlantis was where it should be – at home, in the Pegasus Galaxy. Their current planet, Tria was a beautiful place. It was about Earth's size, although it was slightly more than two-thirds water. Moonrise was exceptional, and late picnics had become very popular as Tria had three moons.

They had only been on Tria for a short time. Lantea had been Atlantis' first home in Pegasus and they had returned there after defeating Queen Death near Ice Planet Zero . However, the remaining Wraith had spread out, searching every planet for food, even planets they had previously culled completely or scorched. They had been discovered by a damaged cruiser that fortunately decided to be greedy and attempt to take the city instead of calling for reinforcements.

Their arrogance made it easy for the city to resist. Woolsey wanted John to shoot it down with drones, but John's plan was to slip a group of pilots onboard, steal a few Darts and take the cruiser out with friendly fire. John's plan worked, although one of the pilots was stunned before he could board a Dart. Fortunately, the rest of John's team, along with Lorne's, had insisted on coming along to cover the pilots while they hijacked the Darts. McKay had refined his control program from a few years earlier by using some of the technological knowledge that he'd acquired during his time as a Wraith, even designing a connector that would interface Earth tablets with the Wraith tech.

After taking out the cruiser, it was decided to move the city again in case any other ships came to investigate. After consideration, they decided on the Ruatha system. It had many of the same qualities as Lantea, but it was in a sparse area. The Wraith, even when starving, tended to avoid areas with few planets as the cost was seen as too high for the amount of gain. It also helped that Tria had been seeded as a landing site for Atlantis. There were no large, dangerous creatures roaming the mainland and a sizeable amount of the vegetation was edible. There was also plenty of arable land, which could be farmed once Praxis finished building the coloni mechanae that would be doing the work, as they were unwilling to import farmers until they had assembled substantial planetary defenses and had some method to evacuate personnel quickly.

Therefore, it was really no surprise when an unscheduled activation was announced partway through the morning. John had just finished the weekly briefing for the Gate teams and was headed for his office to catch up his paperwork. Letting out a sigh, John headed for the Ops deck. "Salawi, do we have an IDC?"

Lydia Salawi glanced over at the terminal that displayed the incoming codes. "IDC belongs to Stargate Command. I'm receiving an incoming signal." She listened to the message for a moment. "It's General O'Neill for you, Sir."

John took up station behind her, tapping his com unit to the command channel. "This is Sheppard. I'm presuming that you didn't call to wish me a happy Fourth of July, Sir."

He heard Jack chuckle in his ear. _"Nope, although the fireworks from Pike's Peak were spectacular. I'm afraid that I need your team to take care of a problem."_

John groaned inwardly. "What kind of problem?"

"_It seems that we may have … missed … a Wraith here on Earth."_

"Son of a bitch." John uttered softly but with deep feeling.

"_Exactly."_

"Why has it taken this long to be discovered? I thought all the wreckage was tracked, bagged and tagged?"

Jack sighed. _"We think this Wraith was ejected before it crashed and was missed by the clean-up crews. I'm sending all the information we have."_ Jack paused_. "I understand that McKay and Zelenka recently got the bio-scanners fully operational."_

John nodded even though the General couldn't see him. Remembering the General's dislike of wordy explanations, he decided to keep it simple. "Yes, Sir. No more mandatory quarantines. The scanners can now detect harmful pathogens as well as disguised life forms."

"_Excellent. I'm sending the data packet now."_

John glanced down at the terminal in front of him. "Packet received, Sir."

"_How soon can you be here?"_

John thought a minute, calculating times. "We can be there in 12 hours. Teyla and Ronon are off-world overseeing a trade agreement renewal and are due back soon."

"_I'll see you when you get here. O'Neill out."_

As the wormhole vanished, John dropped his head for a moment, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. Straightening, he crossed the bridge to Woolsey's office. Woolsey was seated behind his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand, staring through the window to the Gate Room and beyond. Not wanting to startle him, John tapped on the door frame.

"Yes, Colonel?" Woolsey asked as he straightened in his seat.

"Just got off a call with General O'Neill." John pointed over his shoulder at the Stargate. "Seems they have an unwanted visitor that they need my team's help to get rid of."

Woolsey frowned. He disliked having Sheppard off world as the city always felt … on edge. He had an idea as to how to fix it, but the time was not yet right. "Why your team? Surely Stargate Command has plenty of troops that can kill a Wraith."

John leaned against the doorway. "They do, but only Teyla can sense them, plus my team has the highest kill count when it comes to Wraith."

Woolsey sighed. Sheppard had a point – his team were the best equipped to handle a wraith, especially one loose on Earth.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Nick and Hank walked in just as the Medical Examiner was finishing the autopsy on the latest victim. She looked up at the pair as they stopped near her station.

"Hello, boys. Come to see our newest odd one?"

Nick nodded seriously. "Yes, ma'am. What do you have for us?"

The ME finished jotting down her notes before answering. "Well, this is definitely odd." She pointed to the draped body on the table. "This was a female, age 28. She was found dead early yesterday by her roommate." She pulled back the sheet, revealing the body.

Hank looked at the body then shot the ME a skeptical look. "She might have been twenty-eight … about a couple of thousand years ago."

The ME shook her head in disagreement. "Nope, checked that in case this was a prank. She has modern dental work."

Nick examined the body, looking for clues as to the perpetrator. "Were there any unusual marks?"

The ME nodded. "Just this one." She pulled the sheet down just enough to reveal the mark. On the woman's left chest, above the heart, was a black area the shape of a hand.

Nick cocked his head as he committed the details to memory. The print looked familiar, but he would have to check the journals to be sure. "Thanks, Doc. Send us the report when you're done."

She covered the body and signaled one of the orderlies to take it to the refrigerators. "You got it, Detective."

Hank waited until they were back in the car before he questioned Nick. "You suspect something about the marks."

Nick stared out the window, thoughts flying. "Yeah, I do, but I need to check the journals."

Hank sighed as he turned the car towards the storage lot where Nick's trailer was. "Guess we better stop at Grand Central – this is gonna be a long day."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

When the Atlantis Expedition originally arrived in the city, they didn't have a lot of power so everyone was grouped into a rather small area. Once they had a bit more power, people started spreading out, but they were still rather cozy. Now, with three ZPM's and a larger population everyone was really spreading out. There were areas that still hadn't been explored, but the entire city was structurally sound now.

Tired of the traffic flow past his office and the tight space, John had recently moved his office. He designated the smaller office he had formerly inhabited as the office for the Officer on Duty. His new office was up one floor and much bigger. It looked out over the Gateroom but was now off the beaten path. His new office had several advantages, one of which would come in handy. The room had three view-screens so he could put up multiple images as well as small duplicates of many of the consoles from the Ops Deck. When he moved in, John suspected that it was an Auxiliary Control Room but Atlantis informed him that it was his Ancient counterpart's office. Settling down behind his desk, he closed the reports he'd been working on and called up Jack's packet.

Reading over the reports, it was easy for John to pick out this particular Wraith's pattern. It was definitely a Blade – probably middle-aged as a young one would be too eager to hunt and would gorge itself. Looking through the photos, he noticed an anomaly. Tapping a few keys on his tablet, he put the images on the screens. Enlarged, the anomalies were even more obvious. Some of the pictures had the traditional Wraith feeding mark – the bloody oval with the equally bloody claw marks above it. The other pictures had a different mark – a black handprint. The placement was similar, but the second set of prints was not Wraith – the print was too slender. Great, that meant there was already a problem.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, John leaned back in his chair, eyes closed as he chased the headache away. After a few moments, he stood, heading to check on the kids. Torren was now five and the twins were just a year old. The SGC hired a teacher a few months ago so Torren and the other children could receive a formal education. When the issue of their education came up, John had remembered that Dr. Graham's wife was a teacher. After signing the non-disclosure agreement, she had jumped at the chance. The State of Colorado believed they were being homeschooled by a tutor, which was actually the truth, just not all of it. Joseph and Charin weren't quite old enough for a full day of learning, but they were receiving lessons.

Stopping in the doorway to the Teaching Room, John's face softened as he gazed on his children. Torren looked so much like him that it was hard to believe that he wasn't John's blood kin. Joseph and Charin were fraternal twins, but fortunately their differing sexes changed their looks just enough to downplay the twin-ness.

"Daddy," Torren cried as he spotted John leaning on the doorframe.

"Da," the twins ran across the floor and latched onto his legs, Torren following behind them.

John dislodged the twins and knelt to their height to encircle them in his arms. "Hey guys, how're my kids doing?"

"We're fine Daddy. We missed you whole bunch." Torren matched deed to words and wrapped his arms around John's neck as the twins babbled away.

"Are you behaving for Mrs. Graham?"

Torren nodded, suddenly shy.

"They are all very well-behaved, Colonel. I wish every child that I have ever taught was as good as yours." Sandy Graham said as she walked over.

"Thanks. We've tried very hard to instill good behaviors in them."

Sandy smiled. "Well, you've both done very well. They are a testament to the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child."

John rubbed the back of his neck. "Occupational hazard."

She clapped her hands. "I presume you came for snack time?"

John nodded.

Sandy picked up Charin as John hoisted Joseph to his hip and they headed across to a table. He got the kids seated while she retrieved the munchies. John sat at a kid-sized table, eating Goldfish crackers, apple slices and drinking milk and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Part of this story was borrowed from "Summoned" by Stella-pegasi with permission. Thanks, Stella!

AN2: My thanks to all of you that are reading this! The response has warmed my heart and my plot kitty is ecstatic!

Special thanks to Kickstand75 and Alicesandra for their beta on this and to Sulien for providing some local color. You ladies rock!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Colonel John Sheppard and his team paused at the top of the ramp as the wormhole shut down behind them. Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill awaited them at the bottom.

John noted the new stars as he saluted. "General, congratulations."

Jack inclined his head as he returned the salute. "Thanks, Colonel." He turned to the rest of the team. "Teyla, Ronon, nice to see you again." He started walking towards the interior. "You too, McKay."

"Gee, thanks, General. Did they give you a sarcasm injection along with the stars?" Rodney's snark knob was turned up to eleven.

Jack turned and cast a smirk over his shoulder. "Nah, each star just lets me use more of what I already had."

"Man, I need a set of those." John muttered under his breath. Teyla rolled her eyes and Ronon grinned.

Jack led them to the conference room overlooking the Gate. He poured coffee for himself, Sheppard, and McKay and tea for Teyla. He handed out the mugs and settled as the Lanteans got comfortable. Ronon took up station at Sheppard's back, fingers never too far away from his blaster.

Jack leaned forward. "Sorry to pull you away from Atlantis, but the four of you are the best Wraith hunters in the SGC."

John toyed with his cup. "I looked over the files you sent. I think we have two different creatures."

"How so?" Jack frowned. "I had our forensics experts go over them. They assured me we're dealing with a Wraith."

"Oh, we have a Wraith, but we have something else as well." John gestured towards the monitor. "Can we call up the pictures and I'll show you?"

Jack handed him the remote but Rodney reached over and snatched it.

"I went through those files as well and I want to see what you think we all missed and I want to see them before Christmas." Rodney said as he called up the pictures.

John stood and retrieved the remote before walking over to the screen. He cycled through some of the images until he got what he wanted. He put two of the images on screen then returned to his seat. "Okay, does anyone see the anomalies?"

They all focused on the screen. John watched as four sets of eyes tracked back and forth. After several minutes, he stood back up. "Anyone figure it out?" He clicked a few buttons and isolated parts of the pictures then zoomed in. "How about now?"

Unsurprisingly, it was Ronon that caught it. "The handprints are different."

Jack leaned back, a look of disgust on his face. "Great. You haven't even set foot in Portland and there's already a problem." He glared at John. "Keep this up and I'll promote you." John looked horrified, despite his joking about needing stars on his uniform a few moments ago, and that made Jack consider it all the more seriously.

John regained his seat. "So, Portland?"

Jack retrieved the remote and pulled up a set of files. "The bodies that have been discovered so far have been found in Portland. Two of Portland's finest have been assigned the case." He flashed up two pictures. "The one on the left is Detective Hank Griffin while the one on the right is his partner Detective Nick Burkhardt."

John studied the two officers. Griffin was muscular with a smiling face and intelligent eyes. He had a look that said he didn't miss much. Burkhardt was slim but muscular, black hair, lightly tan skin and green eyes. He too had the look of a seasoned police officer, but there was something else … a sense of familiarity that John couldn't quite put his finger on.

"The pair has made a name for themselves recently in solving a lot of strange cases. The reports read pretty standard, but speaking as someone who long ago learned the art of only writing what the higher-ups want to see, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye." Jack let his gaze travel, catching the eyes of each person in the room. "You leave tomorrow. I want you to work with Portland P.D., find whatever's doing this and stop it." He stood and headed for the door, the Lanteans trailing behind.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hilda Ziegfert was very patient, the product of a long life. Sitting in the café, she watched as a group of young women attempted to comfort another of their group. Apparently the bereft woman had recently separated from her longtime boyfriend when he revealed that he was the third in a ménage a trois and could no longer pretend to be interested in her vanilla lifestyle. The anguish flowing from the jilted woman was delicious even from across the eatery.

She kept a careful watch on the group as they convinced the woman to go to a nearby spa for some pampering. She paid her tab and followed at a distance, staying just close enough to keep abreast of their movements. At the spa, she settled in at a park across the street to await her quarry's return.

Her target emerged with the setting sun, her friends trailing behind. She could barely catch the sounds of their conversation, but heard enough to know that her target was heading home alone. She planned to stop at the grocery store then go home and drown her sorrows.

Hilda once again trailed her intended at a distance as she did her shopping and trudged home. Reaching inside her coat, she rubbed the medallion she had recovered from her mother's decapitated body. A tingle in her fingers meant her pet was on its way.

Hilda waited until the target had been inside for only a few minutes knowing she would be off her guard. She was about to send her pet towards the woman's door when she caught sight of a flash of white. She hurried across the street in order to get a better look but the figure was too quick. By the time she reached her target's door, her pet and the strange creature were engaged. She took a moment to study the interloper. It had long white hair, greenish skin, and wore a ragged black leather coat.

The creature snarled and she saw a mouthful of fangs as it raised its right hand in an odd strike. The creature voiced a roar as it slammed its hand into her pet's chest, a look of victory crossing its face. The triumphant look only lasted for a moment as the creature pulled its hand back. "You are not human."

"It was once." Hilda said in response to its question from her position in the doorway. "Now it is a servant, able only to do its master's bidding."

The creature cocked its head at her. "And what would you bid it do?"

Her reply was simple. "Feed me."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Morning came all too soon in Colorado as John blinked bleary eyes at the bedside clock. Normally, he'd be getting up to run with Ronon, but they couldn't run the corridors here and neither liked just running laps so they'd decided to skip a day. Since he wasn't running and their flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 10 am, he rolled over, snuggled with Teyla and went back to sleep.

Teyla getting up two hours later roused him again. John groaned and sat up, turning so his feet hit the floor.

"John, are you well?"

He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm alright. I just feel … off this morning."

"Maybe it is because you did not run with Ronon?" Teyla asked as she settled beside him and placed her hand on his forehead.

"Maybe." He waited until she pulled her hand back before rising. "I'm gonna take a shower." John let the spray beat against his skin, loosening the sore muscles in his back and shoulders. He stepped out and dried off making sure he got his hair dry enough it wouldn't drip. It didn't matter when he was putting on his everyday black BDUs but it was different when he had to wear his dress uniform, which he had to do today because they were traveling on the Air Force's dime. He slipped into his boxers and t-shirt before going to shave. When he exited the bathroom, breakfast was waiting.

They ate quickly and John was slipping into the last pieces of his uniform when a brisk knock sounded. Curious, Teyla opened the door and found Ronon standing there wearing a leather duster, green button down shirt, jeans, and boots.

Ronon cocked a thumb over his shoulder. "O'Neill wants to see us before we leave."

Just as they stepped into the hall, an airman came around the corner and ducked in behind them to gather their luggage. He would see that it got to their transport.

They made their way through the halls in silence. John wondered what Jack was up to. The General was as sneaky as he was and could get away with a lot more crap than John could. Maybe he had new information to relay or … John shook his head to clear his thoughts. Guessing games had no benefit except to act as fertilizer for headaches.

Ronon stopped at a door and John snapped from his musings to check out the area. He realized they were not at Jack's office just as Ronon opened the door. He held the door and ushered John and Teyla inside then quickly stepped in and shut it.

John took in the gathering with a hefty dose of apprehension. Jack and Landry were present along with Sam, Caldwell, Cam, Teal'c, Daniel and Vala. Rodney, who was wearing what he called his travelling suit, was seated at the conference table seemingly engrossed in his tablet.

Landry stood as John came to a halt a few feet from the table. "Colonel, Mrs. Sheppard, thank you for joining us."

John stood stiffly. "Did I have a choice, Sir?"

Landry cast a glare his way as Jack coughed to disguise a laugh. "No, not really." He threw another glare at Jack who just shrugged. "Since time is precious, let me get to the point. After a long three-way conversation, the President called the Secretary of the Air Force. They had another long talk and this," he picked up a blue leather folder, "is the result." He flipped it open and displayed the contents.

**This** was a set of formal orders.

Landry watched Sheppard as he glanced at the order he held. When Sheppard realized what the order was for, he snapped to attention. The man definitely wore the uniform well. He moved with poise and grace that most officers never got and the chest full of ribbons didn't hurt either. Landry knew the real story behind those pieces of chest candy and knew of the scars that went with them. Glancing over Sheppard's impressive collection in addition to the pair of wings he wore, Landry realized that Sheppard had more awards than any of the rest of them. Jack was the only one that came close. He caught Jack's smirk and knew that he had just been waiting for the rest of them to figure out what he already knew.

"When you first obtained this post, I was more than a bit skeptical about your ability to handle the situation. After seven years and several bumps along the way, I can honestly say that I am glad that I accepted the advice of a certain other General and left you in Atlantis. In preparation for this day, I took a look at your record and realized that I could not imagine another officer that could have done the same things any better."

John opened his mouth to protest and Jack shook his head from his seat at the table. "Don't bother, Sheppard. It was already in the works. The President just moved things along a bit. He felt you deserved recognition for your selfless acts of valor, and that your sense of responsibility for those you have been charged to protect should not go unrewarded. The respect you have earned from those in your command, and those who have commanded you, should not go unacknowledged. So, since we can't give you a big bonus, or a new car, we can only give you this, the promotion you deserve, and our respect." Jack flashed a sly grin at John, who was staring at the general, his face an unreadable mask.

Standing, Jack turned to Landry. "General Landry, do you hold the orders?" he asked.

"Yes, sir; I do." Landry handed the orders to Jack, who proceeded to read them.

"Attention to orders: The President of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Air Force, has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity, and abilities of Colonel John Sheppard. In view of these special qualities and his demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, Colonel John Sheppard is promoted to the grade of Brigadier General, United States Air Force, effective this date, by order of the Secretary of the Air Force."

O'Neill handed the warrant back to Landry and exchanged it for a slightly battered dark blue jeweler's box.

"Several years ago, at the time of my promotion to Brigadier General, General Hammond started a tradition. For my promotion, he used his own first set of stars. We will be using that same set of stars today in honor of a great man. He passed many lessons down to me and I in turn have passed those lessons on to those who serve under me. Those of us who serve in the SGC are the best of the best and it is to honor one of our own that this pair of stars is passed on."

"Dr. Rodney McKay, Mrs. Teyla Emmagan-Sheppard, and Specialist Ronon Dex, would you please step forward and pin on Brigadier General Sheppard's new rank."

They posed for a quick photo. Then Jack instructed John to raise his right hand and repeat after him.

"I, John Sheppard."

"I, John Sheppard." John's voice was husky and a little shaky.

"Having been appointed a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force."

They continued the oath, exchanging lines: "Having been appointed a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force"/ do solemnly swear/that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States/against all enemies, foreign and domestic / that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same / that I take this obligation freely / without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion / and that I will well and faithfully discharge / the duties of the office which I am about to enter / so help me God."

Jack shook John's hand. "Congratulations, Brigadier General John Sheppard."

Everyone else took that as a signal and jumped up to congratulate John. Sam hugged him and kissed him on the cheek then proceeded to babble about how proud she was until Jack gently tugged her away. Teal'c clasped him by the shoulders then bowed before shaking his hand. Cam slapped John on the back before pulling him close for a guy hug. Daniel settled for shaking his hand and congratulating him. Vala stepped up after Daniel and practically glued herself to him, showering him with kisses until Daniel dislodged her and pulled her away although she managed to pinch John's butt in the process.

Jack just stood back and watched while John sent daggered glares his way. After Vala was corralled, Ronon clapped John on the shoulder hard enough to stagger him and delivered a "Congrats, Sheppard." Rodney just waved a hand and called out "Yes, yes, congratulations." Teyla moved forward and twined her arms about his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. John wrapped his arms about her as he relaxed into the kiss.

Vala, standing off to the side in Daniel's firm grip, pouted as she observed the couple. "She is sooo lucky."

Daniel let a small smile cross his face. "They sure are."

When they finally surfaced for air, Jack stepped forward and put his hand on John's back to propel him from the room. "C'mon, we need to get you kitted out before you leave." He took them to Personnel for updated ID's before taking them to the Quartermaster where they were issued phones. The Quartermaster, Staff Sergeant Ansell, had four iPhones sitting on the counter when they walked in. Rodney immediately hurried over, grabbed one and started customizing it.

"Jeez, Rodney, someone might think you'd never seen a phone." John drawled as he watched Rodney practically drool.

"Humph." Rodney sniffed. "This is not just a phone. This is an iPhone 5s. It's Apple's top of the line."

Teyla walked over to peer at what Rodney was doing. "What is an eye phone? Can it see you?"

John chuckled in amusement as he accepted his and Teyla's from Ansell. "No, it's an iPhone" and he showed her the box. "It allows communication over very long distances. Our radios don't have enough range to use here on Earth. We can even see each other through a feature called Face Time which works like the cameras in the laptops." He checked the numbers in the phones and programmed them into the other's phone then entered his Apple ID into both phones. John nodded towards the bench near the door and Teyla followed him there where he proceeded to teach 'Cell Phone 101'.

Ansell handed Ronon the fourth phone, who looked at it in amusement. He could wrap his hand around the phone.

John paused in his lessons to see what Ronon would do. "Give it a try, Chewie."

Ronon glared at John then tried what John had been telling Teyla. He got the phone powered on then tried to send a text.

John's phone dinged. "Tanks prom roman?" He let out a chuff. "Try again."

Ding. "Hanks drops oh man."

Ronon closed his hand around the phone. "Grrr, how am I supposed to use this toy?"

Everyone stared at Ronon for a minute then John cast a look at Ansell. "Sergeant, I don't think my big friend here is meant to text. Got something easier?"

Ansell peered up at Ronon who was looming over him with a very irritated look on his face. "Um … yes. I keep these for Teal'c." He left the counter and reappeared a few minutes later with two boxes. The first was a flip phone and the second was a tablet. "Here, you can still text with this" and he demonstrated how, "but the keys are bigger and the phone is more durable." Ansell opened the tablet box. "And this is for anything else you may want to do."

Ronon took the tablet and was pleased. He glanced over at Rodney. "Now I have my own, McKay."

Rodney waved a hand without looking up. "Good for you, Conan. Now you'll stop stealing mine when we get home."

Ansell opened his mouth to say something then reconsidered and closed it with a snap. John noticed and chuckled. "Good idea, Sergeant. He's worse than Teal'c in a bad mood."

Jack had observed from just inside the door the entire time. "Okay kids, play later. We have places to be, people to see, things to blow up."

Ronon's head popped up. "What are we blowing up?"

John shook his head as he prodded Ronon out the door. "Nothing right now, but the trip is young. I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities."

Jack steered them past his office. Even though he spent most of his time in Washington, he still kept an office in the Mountain. He bade John follow him as he ducked in and shut the door then went to his safe and pulled out a laptop and an envelope. "This is yours, John. I need you to memorize the passcode while you're here. You can change it later which I recommend."

John opened the envelope, scanned the sequence, closed his eyes for a moment then dropped the envelope and its contents in the shredder.

Jack's eyes grew wide. "Did you memorize that with one look?"

"I did."

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "You're gonna have to prove that one, son."

John opened the laptop and booted it up. When the lock screen came up, he entered the code. Jack stared as the desktop appeared. "Okay, you win." John spotted a carrying case and slipped the laptop in then slung it onto his shoulder.

They exited Jack's office and the older General stayed with them until they reached the garage where their ride waited. Jack shook John's hand once again. "Be careful. I didn't put all this effort into raising you for you to go and do something stupid."

John gave him a cocky grin. "Yes, Dad."

Jack took a swipe at him which John dodged. He looked over at Ronon and Teyla. "See if you can keep him out of trouble, will ya?"

Ronon nodded and Teyla smiled before she stepped forward to bid Jack farewell. "We shall endeavor to do so. However, I have found that to be nearly as difficult as keeping Torren away from chocolate pudding."

"Hey!"

Ronon shoved John towards their ride. "Get in the vehicle, Sheppard."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again! I am so thrilled by the reception this story has gotten! Thank you all so much! Thanks to alicesandra and kickstand75 for beta on this and to sulien for adding local flavor. As always, remember that reviews feed the plot kitty. Enjoy!

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Chapter 4

John spent the flight from Peterson Air Force Base to Portland International Airport reviewing the privileges and duties of the shiny bomb O'Neill and the President dropped on him.

Teyla spent the flight trying out her phone, keeping his distractions to a minimum and in keeping a firm hand on Rodney and Ronon. Fortunately, the Air Force had put them on a Gulfstream G5 so the distractions were minimal. Ronon spent the trip eating anything he could while playing Plants vs. Zombies. Rodney buried his nose in his laptop, only surfacing to quiz the air crew about the allergens in the food or to almost politely demand more coffee.

When they disembarked from the plane they found a Marine officer waiting for them, his dark green uniform standing out from the ground crew. The officer spotted them and made his way over. He started to offer John a casual salute then spotted the twinkling stars on John's shoulders and snapped into a more proper salute. "General Sheppard, Sir. Captain Clark Vincent at your service, Sir."

John returned the salute with an amused air. "Captain Vincent, you our driver?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, Sir." He glanced at the movement going on around them. "Sir, may I suggest we adjourn to the lounge?" He pointed to one side at an enclosed area empty except for some couches, chairs and vending machines.

John gestured his acquiescence and the party moved out of the way of the service crew.

After they were all seated, Vincent continued. "I am your assigned driver while you are here in Portland. I am also to act as your attaché. Lieutenant General O'Neill was very explicit in his orders."

John narrowed his eyes as he studied the younger man. "How much do you know?"

Vincent let out a deep breath. "I am a member of SG-16. I was home on leave when O'Neill called."

"He pulled you off leave?" John reached for his phone. "I'll fix that."

Vincent shook his head. "He called for a recommendation for someone trustworthy. I volunteered."

John shook his head as he stood, everyone following his lead. "Well, I hope you know what you're getting into."

The benefit of their conversation was that the plane had been unloaded. They quickly gathered their bags and headed out. Just as John was about to step outside, Vincent put an arm out to block him.

"Allow me to check the area, Sir."

John looked at him, quirky smile in place. "What … are you my bodyguard too?"

"Yes Sir. As I said, General O'Neill was very explicit in his orders."

"He doesn't need bodyguards." Ronon rumbled from John's six. "He has us."

Vincent audibly swallowed at the look on Ronon's face. "Um, yes sir, but I have orders."

John put a hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Listen, just act natural. If you walk out and look around, it calls attention to us." He gestured at their uniforms. "These attract enough attention. Let's not add to it."

Vincent was silent for a moment then nodded. "Yes Sir."

"Good." John peered up at the sky before he hefted his bag. It was a rare sunny spring day with only a few wispy clouds. "Lead the way."

They followed Vincent to their vehicle, a black Chevy Tahoe. Once inside, John asked for their destination.

"I was told to take you to the Portland P.D.'s Major Crime unit to meet Detectives Griffin and Burkhardt."

"Bzzzt! Nope, wrong answer." John shook his head. "Take us to the hotel first. I want out of this get-up."

Vincent opened his mouth to protest then quickly shut it. General Sheppard did say they were trying to be low-key, and the dress blues did stand out, especially when you sported as much chest candy as Sheppard had. "Yes Sir."

Rodney buried his nose in his laptop once they were moving. Ronon, Teyla and John took the time to admire the scenery. John had never been to the Pacific Northwest and the contrast to the East Coast was nice.

John looked up as Captain Vincent pulled to a stop. He smiled as he realized that whoever had booked the hotel had decided to be cheap. They would be staying in a Holiday Inn Express. Stepping through the doors and taking in the décor, John didn't feel any smarter. Maybe it only happened if you spent the night. The hotel wasn't anything fancy, but it was nice enough that they didn't stand out. The desk clerk barely looked up when John handed over the government credit card Jack had given him. He took the keys and they headed for their rooms. Teyla sat on the bed and frowned while John started taking his uniform off.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he pulled his BDU on. The only concession he made to being on Earth was that he attached a set of low visibility stars to the collar.

She sighed. "I guess I am spoiled to our comfortable bed at home. This bed is rather … firm."

John sat on the end of it and bounced in place a few times. "Hotel standard. They use really firm mattresses because they get lots of use and most people are so tired that they don't notice how hard the bed is. Better hotels, like the one from our honeymoon, use better bedding." He leaned over and kissed her gently. "We could always re-enact part of that trip then we wouldn't notice the bed."

Teyla slid her arms up to encircle his neck. "Hmmm, that sounds like an excellent idea, General Sheppard."

John wrapped his own around her as his lips moved in. "Your wish is my command, Mrs. Sheppard." He pushed her back on the bed and their tongues met in an ancient dance for several moments before life intruded in the form of a knock at their door.

"Hurry up, you two." Rodney's voice carried through the door. "We don't have time for you two to play tonsil hockey."

John sighed as Teyla pulled back. They rested their foreheads against one another and took a deep breath. "Can I stun him, please?" He looked at Teyla with his second best puppy dog eyes. "I know Ronon brought his blaster."

Teyla leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his full lips. "No. He is correct – we do not have the time right now to do as we wish, but there is always tonight."

John's eyes lit up and there was a spring in his step as he finished changing and they headed out.

Once John had changed, they were almost to the car when Rodney decided he needed a different jacket to put over his suit. When he went to get his other jacket, he decided that he needed a different outfit. He slipped on a long-sleeved Henley but dithered between khakis or cargo pants until John finally had Ronon grab him and hustle him to the car.

It was almost two hours later that John and his team were pulling out their identification for the desk sergeant when they noticed four officers struggling to bring in four rough looking men. Their clothes were in various states of disrepair and cleanliness. Rodney saw them and covered his mouth and nose in an attempt to block their pungent odor. John eyed them as the four kept jostling the officers and each other. They looked similar to each other with muscular frames, long faces etched with perpetual scowls, deep set eyes, and dark unkempt hair. Just as the outside doors closed, one of the four broke free and threw his escort into the wall. John caught a fleeting impression of pointed ears just before the first guy took a swing at him. The other three toughs broke loose and melee ensued. Rodney ducked under a counter as Teyla and Ronon entered the fray alongside John.

Two of the other officers were tossed through an interior window as two plainclothes officers entered the fight. One, a medium complected black officer moved to help Teyla. The other, a dark haired man with pale skin, assessed the situation then tackled the fourth guy who was about to grab John from behind.

John stomped on his opponent's instep as he delivered an elbow strike to the gut then hooked his arm around the guy's neck and flipped him to the floor. Ronon punched his several times, landed a two-hit set to the stomach then leapt up and delivered an overhead blow that sent his opponent crashing to the floor. Teyla tripped hers and the black officer dropped a knee into the guy's kidney, leaving him writhing on the ground as more officers rush in to restrain him. The dark haired officer landed several hard body shots to his opponent, a few of those in the stomach, then grabbed his arm as the guy tried to rush past him, and twisted it up behind him and put his opponent on his knees.

The toughs were finally all restrained, hoisted to their feet, and re-cuffed. Just before they left the area, they glanced at the dark haired officer, and their eyes widened in surprise just before a brutish image overlaid their features. John rubbed his eyes to clear them, not sure that what he just saw was real but the image of furry jawlines, mouthfuls of sharp teeth with jutting canines and the deep set eyes radiating malice stayed with him. He lowered his hands to find the dark haired officer gazing at him thoughtfully. John leaned over to catch his breath and to ease a pulled muscle in his back. Without turning, he called out, "Come on out Rodney. The fight's over."

Rodney, having sensibly remained quiet during the scuffle, crawled out from beneath a desk and straightened his clothes. "I'm a scientist, Sheppard, not a soldier."

Upon hearing the name Sheppard, the two plainclothes officers look at each other. The dark haired one stepped forward. "Colonel John Sheppard?"

John straightened with a wince. "Yep, only it's General Sheppard now."

The dark haired officer held out his hand in greeting. "Welcome to Portland, General Sheppard and thanks for your assistance. I'm Detective Nick Burkhardt and this is my partner, Detective Hank Griffin."

At that moment another man, wearing a long coat and a nicely tailored suit, entered the room and stopped to survey the damage. He glanced over the down officers, making sure that everyone was alive and being cared for. "What happened here?"

"Mahoney, Simms, Hope and Lewis were bringing in the four men that were wanted for the break-in at Curiosities Rock and Gem Shop." Hank said. "One of them broke loose, tossed Mahoney into the wall then all hell broke loose, Captain."

Captain Sean Renard glanced at John and his team. "And who is this?"

Nick moved forward slightly. "Captain, this is General John Sheppard, Teyla Sheppard, Ronon Dex and Doctor Rodney McKay. They're here about those mysterious deaths." He turned back towards John. "General, this is Captain Sean Renard."

The two leaders reached to shake hands. As their hands touched, John got another flash, this time of ugly, stringy, drawn flesh across Renard's cheekbones and mouth. John had to force himself not to jerk his hand back at the sight of the empty, scarred eye socket. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head to clear it. He missed the questioning look between Renard and Nick.

Renard gestured towards the Major Crimes Unit. "This way, please. We have much to discuss."

They passed through the squad and settled in a small conference room. Once everyone was settled, Renard scanned the assemblage. He knew that the current case was _wesen_ related, but there was something … different about it. "So, General Sheppard, what is the United States Air Force's interest in this case?"

John leaned back in his chair, fingers laced across his stomach. "I can only tell you that it pertains to more than National Security until you sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. McKay, do you have them printing yet?"

Rodney nodded. "They should be ready in about five minutes. Their printers are a bit slow. I had to reconfigure their network and their firewall was crap. My niece could do better."

Renard, Nick and Hank just stared. "Well, thank you. I'm sure the City of Portland will appreciate your services."

Rodney sniffed. "I'd redo their whole network if they could afford me."

Wu chose that moment to stagger in bearing an armload of paper. He dropped the load on the table which shivered with the impact. "There are a lot of unhappy officers out there." He pointed over his shoulder. "Someone booted all of them off the network in order to process this mountain." He set a hand on top of the stack and looked at Rodney. "How many copies are here, anyway?"

John stood and dug down to the bottom of the first copy. "Three."

Eyes bulged as John placed the first copy in front of Renard. The second went to Nick and the third went to Hank. He returned to his seat. "Soon as you gentlemen sign these, the sooner we can lay all the cards on the table."

The three officers were silent as they worked their way through the stack of paper. Renard finished first followed by Nick. Renard and Nick exchanged a set of knowing looks. Renard gave Nick a bare nod.

John stood again. "Which way is the restroom?"

Nick stood, seeing his chance to get John alone. "I'll show you. I need to get something from my desk."

The two men walked out and headed down the hall at an easy pace. They detoured through the squad and stopped long enough for Nick to grab a couple of case folders and a sketchbook. When they reached the restroom, both men went in. While John took care of his needs, Nick leaned against a sink.

"So, General, I have a question to ask you." Nick said.

"Detective, please call me John." John turned and gave him a quirky grin over his shoulder. "We are going to be working together and 'John' draws less attention than 'General'."

Nick returned the grin. "Then please, call me Nick."

"As I was saying, John, it might sound very strange but I need you to answer truthfully."

"Oookaaay."

Nick took a deep breath. "During the fight earlier, did you see anything … unusual?"

"How unusual?" John asked. "A guy throwing another guy against a wall isn't unusual for me. Why don't you tell me what you think I saw?"

"Faces with fur-covered jaws, deep eyes filled with malice, blunt muzzles, long canines, pointed and furred ears, long fingers tipped with jagged, dirty nails."

"Let's just suppose that I might have seen something that looked like that." John finished and headed towards a sink. "If I had seen them, what would I have seen?"

Nick nodded as John washed his hands and face. "They were _schakalen_, jackal _wesen_. They're thieves and bullies."

John's head jerked up. "What the hell is a _wesen_?"

"A _wesen_ is a person with a beast inside. Some people talk about having a beast inside, but wesen actually do. They are the beings described by the Brothers Grimm. Did you see any other images or visions?"

"Renard." John shuddered in remembrance. "His face … part of it looked melted and the missing eye …"

Nick was surprised. Renard had very good control. For John to have caught a glimpse of his _woge_ then the Captain must have been very irritated or surprised. "Captain Renard is part _hexenbiest_."

"He's part what-a-beast?"

"_Hexenbiest_. They're witches who specialize in potions and other powerful spells."

John looked at him as he dried his hands. "Why tell me all this now and like this?"

"Because it pertains to the case."

"Okay, why me? Why can I see this and no one else on my team did?"

Nick paused near the door. "My guess would be that you had a relative that was a Grimm."

"A Grimm?" John's eyebrows shot up and his chin tilted down in his best you've-gotta-be-kidding-me look.

Nick sighed. "Grimms are the police of the _wesen_. We hunt down _wesen_ that are preying on humans or are otherwise causing trouble."

"So you're telling me I'm a Grimm?"

Nick looked at him and let his senses reach out. "You feel like a Grimm, but it's faint, like there's something overshadowing it."

John started at Nick's revelation, but quickly regained his composure. It was probably the ATA gene that was overshadowing his Grimmness. "Well, I expect full disclosure later. My team and I need to know what we're going to be hunting."

Nick opened the door. "My partner knows and I have some friends that will be glad to help."

Back in the conference room, they discovered Hank had finally finished with the Non-Disclosure Agreement and that food had been delivered.

Renard looked up and gestured at the side table of food. "I have a feeling that we're going to be here awhile."

John noticed a plate on the table in front of his chair and headed that way. A cold can of Coke sat beside it. He smiled at Teyla as he regained his seat. "We will." He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. "We've got a lot of information to go over and not a lot of time."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hello all! Sorry for the delay in posting but I was dealing with RL and working out a few plot kinks. Thanks to all of you that have favorite/followed this story. You guys rock!

Special thanks goes out to my betas, Kickstand75 and Alicesandra; and to Sulien for her assistance with local flavor. You ladies are the best.

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Chapter 5

It was late when they finally finished. Captain Vincent had called three hours ago to tell him that a situation had come up with some visiting bigwig from Washington and he was needed for security. Jack had okayed it, as he knew John and his team were very capable of looking out for themselves.

Knowing they were going to have outside help, Nick had signed out a black Tahoe from the motor pool. Hank drove and pulled up in front of the hotel John had directed him to. "They booked you in this place? I thought the Air Force treated visiting Generals better."

John gave him a lopsided smile. "They do, but I was still a Colonel when the reservation was made." He climbed out and shut the door.

Nick leaned out his window. "Call us when you're up and we'll come get you."

John held up his iPhone. "Gotcha. I've got your number." He headed after his team and waved without looking back.

They were almost to the elevator when the manager stepped over to them. "General Sheppard, I'm afraid there's been a problem."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hank and Nick rode in silence for a few minutes before Hank broke it. "Man, can you believe that? Traveling to other worlds through big metal rings made by aliens, meeting aliens, and fighting other aliens?"

Nick shrugged. "I guess it doesn't seem that strange to me after dealing with so many _wesen_ the last few years."

Hank grimaced, remembering his freak out when he found out about _wesen_ and Grimms.

"Teyla and Ronon are aliens."

Hank turned and stared at his partner. It was Nick's frantic gestures forward that yanked Hank back to his driving and he turned the wheel sharply, narrowly missing a slow-moving car. "Nick! What the hell, man? You can't just blurt out shit like that while I'm driving!"

Nick looked sheepish. "Sorry, Hank. They didn't say, but it was the way Sheppard explained certain things." He would have said more, but his phone rang.

Hank glanced over but couldn't see the caller ID. "Juliette?"

Nick shook his head as he looked at the screen on his iPhone. "Nope, it's Sheppard." He swiped the screen and answered the call. He greeted Sheppard and they conversed for a few minutes before hanging up. "We need to turn around."

Hank worked his way across traffic and pulled a U-turn. "What happened?"

"Well, it seems the hotel had a couple of guests that felt the urge to cook in their room. While their meal was cooking, they decided to have … um … dessert first and forgot about the food until the skillet caught on fire. It didn't damage the hotel badly, but the room where it happened was right down the hall from those belonging to Sheppard and his team. Their rooms are uninhabitable from the smoke. They're lucky they weren't in them at the time. They were able to retrieve their luggage though. To make matters worse, the hotel doesn't have enough empty rooms for the displaced guests."

Hank looked at the dash clock and noted that it was almost 8 pm. "Kinda late to find another hotel."

"Yeah, that's my thought too, so we're going to pick them up and take them to my house."

Hank nodded as he worked his way through traffic. "Weren't Monroe and Rosalee coming over for a late dinner?"

"Yes, they are. It will be alright." Nick stared into the distance for a moment. "Sheppard is part Grimm."

"Great." Hank rolled his eyes. "Just what we need."

"With Monroe and Rosalee there, we can give him and his team the full run-down. I left out a lot this afternoon."

"I think Sheppard knew it, but he chose not to call you on it. He's very cautious. He probably left some stuff out too."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Monroe and Juliette were in the kitchen fixing dinner while Rosalee set the table. She glanced over and noticed that they had made too much again. At least it was cheese ravioli with marinara sauce tonight. Juliette's homemade ravioli were easy to reheat and often better the second time around. She looked down at her watch and noticed it was 8:30. Nick had called when they left the station and said they were on their way home after they dropped off some visitors. Ten minutes later she heard a vehicle pull up and car doors open and shut. She headed for the door when Monroe stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"Man, that smells awful." Monroe snorted to clear his sinuses. "Nick is not sitting down to eat until he showers."

Rosalee neared the door, listened and called back. "Nick and Hank aren't alone. Monroe, you better put more plates on the table."

"How many?"

Rosalee closed her eyes to concentrate on the noises from outside. "We need four more." Hearing the footsteps on the concrete walkway, she opened the door. Nick was first in and behind him were four strangers with Hank bringing up the rear. She observed them as they filed past her, her senses cataloguing each of them. The first was a petite woman about her own height, well-muscled and with the air of someone who could go from loving wife to hardened warrior in a blink. Second was a taller man, pale skinned with a receding hairline that smelled of electronics and coffee, nervous energy crackling around him. The fourth was taller than the rest with a wild mane of dreadlocks and roving eyes that saw everything. It was the third person that drew her attention the most. He was Nick's height with untamable dark brown hair and hazel eyes. His sharp gaze reminded her of a hunting falcon, seeing everything without giving anything away.

Nick stepped up as Hank shut the door and locked it. Overcome with curiosity, Monroe and Juliette entered from the kitchen. "Everyone, this is General John Sheppard, his wife Teyla Emmagan Sheppard, Doctor Rodney McKay and Specialist Ronon Dex. They were sent by the Air Force to assist with our latest case." Each nodded in greeting as Nick pointed them out. "This is Monroe, his girlfriend Rosalee Calvert, and my fiancée Juliette Silverton."

Monroe wrinkled his nose and sneezed. "I'm sorry and don't mean to be rude, but you two," and he pointed at John and Ronon, "need to shower before we eat."

John rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we were planning to anyway. We'll all need some clean clothes too." He gestured towards their suitcases. "Everything in those is gonna need to be washed. I think the only thing that survived is my dress blues and that's only because I zipped the garment bag shut. The rest of the bags were open."

Juliette looked over at Nick. "Nick, why don't you show the General and…"

John interrupted her with his second best charming smile. "Please, call me John."

Juliette colored at John's attempt at charm. "Alright, Nick, please show John and Ronon to the bathrooms while I start the laundry and Rosalee hunts out some clothes." Rosalee headed for the bedrooms as Juliette picked up the suitcases. "Hank, grab those and bring them, would you?"

"I shall assist you, if you do not mind."

Juliette took in the other woman's body language. She seemed very sincere and her accent was very exotic. She wondered briefly where Teyla was from. "Sure, come on. I can use some knowledgeable help." She rolled her eyes and leaned in towards Teyla. "Men can be so useless sometimes."

Teyla smiled and leaned in as well. "Some of them, yes. John is very handy at many things."

The two women, Hank trailing behind, headed for the laundry room bonding as they went.

Monroe hovered in the doorway to the kitchen. He wanted to talk to Rosalee about the … odd feeling he was getting from John, but someone had to finish dinner. Rosalee caught his eye and nodded before cutting her eyes towards John's retreating form. She mouthed one word in question to which he nodded agreement. She had caught it too. He had a feeling that the talk after dinner was going to be … interesting.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

John took his time and reveled in the hot shower. He was used to showering in barracks or locker rooms, but he hated showering in hotel rooms. He'd never been able to explain it. Maybe it was because, for all their coarseness, barracks had a lived-in feel. Hotels always felt soulless and cold. Now this bathroom felt nice and homey. You could tell it was lived in. And he definitely appreciated the herb-scented soap and shampoo. The stuff cut the odor from the fiasco at the hotel quicker than anything else he'd ever used. He'd have to find out where they got it and get some for him and Teyla.

John shut off the water, pulled back the curtain and came face to face with Rosalee and an armload of clothes. He quickly snatched a towel as she averted her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

Rosalee shook her head. "No, I should apologize. I knew you were in the shower and probably hadn't heard the door open. I should have knocked or called out."

John gave her a crooked grin as she turned back to face him. "Hey, no harm done." He gestured with his chin to the clothes she was still holding. "Are those for me?"

"Oh, um … yes, yes these are for you." Rosalee stammered out as she took in the sight of him. Even if she hadn't known he was military, the scars that were visible on his arms, shoulders and lightly furred chest would have spoken up for him. "These are some of Nick's. I figured they would fit since the two of you are the same height although I think he's a bit broader in the shoulders and you've a longer torso."

John smiled at her. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

Rosalee blushed as she set the clothes down on the closed toilet seat. "Um … I'll … just leave these here." She backed away and fled in embarrassment.

"Thank you." John called out as the door closed behind her. Hopefully she heard him.

Dressed and clean, John joined everyone in the dining room of the old Victorian house. Ronon had just barely beaten him to the table. Teyla and Rodney had also taken the time to clean up. Nick and Hank were already seated at the table along with the rest of his team so John joined them. Spotting a bundle of herbs hanging near the stove reminded John of the soap. "I know this might sound weird, but where do you get your soap? That stuff was great and I'd like to get some to take home."

Nick smiled at the mundane question. "A friend of Rosalee's makes it. She has a shop out near Canon Beach. We can take a drive out there after this case is over and get you a few bars."

"Will she sell a case full? We don't get stateside often."

Rosalee nodded as she set the salad bowl on the table. "She makes it in small batches, but I'm sure she'd do a larger batch for you. She also does mail order."

The rest of the conversation went in a similar fashion. John got the same kind of vibe from Monroe and Rosalee as he did from Renard, although no visuals yet, so he figured they were _wesen,_ as Nick had called them. He just didn't know what type yet. He hadn't said anything to the rest of his team yet as Nick had asked him to wait until they were in a private setting. He knew Rosalee and Monroe had figured out, or at least had a hunch as to what he was, but they were keeping their peace.

Monroe looked at the group and realized that there would be no leftovers. That was one thing he looked forward to when Juliette fixed her homemade ravioli was having them for lunch the next day. Watching Ronon and Rodney eat, he wondered why they hadn't exploded yet.

Once dinner was over, Rodney disappeared into the living room and Monroe could hear the sound of keys tapping and Nick's printer running. John and Juliette disappeared to the laundry room to check on the clothes while Ronon and Teyla assisted with the cleanup.

Cleanup done and laundry loads changed over, everyone gathered in the living room where Rodney had already set up. There were three sheets of paper lying on the coffee table that they usually spread their research out on.

Rodney pointed at Juliette, Monroe and Rosalee. "You three need to read and sign those before we get started."

Rosalee picked one up. "A Non-Disclosure Agreement? Why?"

"Because what we need to discuss concerns not just this city, state or country, but the entire planet." John stated. "If I say anything more before you sign that, I will have to kill you." The humor from dinner was gone from his voice

Juliette picked another up and scanned it. "Nick?"

Nick nodded. "Go ahead and sign. I'm presuming this is the short version since the ones we signed earlier were twenty pages each."

Rodney waved a hand, intent on whatever he was working on. "I printed the short version because you don't have a high speed printer. We'd be sitting here for 30 minutes waiting for the larger file to print."

Once they signed and John had put the forms away, he booted up his laptop and turned it to face everyone. "Okay, some of what I'm going to tell you Nick and Hank already know. Some of it they do not."

The first picture up was of the SGC's Stargate. "This is a Stargate. They were made by a race we call the Ancients. Here in the Milky Way, they placed Stargates on habitable worlds and seeded them with life. Travel is accomplished by using a device called a DHD to dial the address of the Gate you wish to travel to. Once a connection is formed between two Gates, a stable wormhole is formed. You can literally lift your foot on one planet and set it down on another as travel time is nearly instantaneous." Rodney _hmphed_ from his end of the couch. "If you want the in-depth science, Rodney will happily explain it to you until your ears bleed."

Juliette leaned forward and hesitantly raised a finger. "Um, how long ago did this happen?"

"Tens of thousands of years ago."

"Um, excuse me if this is kinda off track, but why have we never heard of these gates?"

"Well Monroe, that is because after the Ancients left this galaxy, another race moved in called the Goa'uld. They are a sentient, parasitic race that requires a host to survive. They found out that humans made the perfect hosts and decided to take over. The easiest way was to pose as Gods."

Juliette suddenly sat up straight. "Oh my, that means that archaeologist, um … what was his name … was right."

"Doctor Daniel Jackson?" John said with a straight face.

Juliette bounced in place. "Yes, that's him. A friend persuaded me to attend one of his lectures many years ago. I found it interesting because it made you think, but a lot of people in the audience walked out."

"Daniel was actually the one who translated the first Gate address for the SGC and was a member of the first team to travel to another planet." At the questioning looks he was seeing, John added "and before you ask, SGC stands for Stargate Command. It is a multi-national venture."

"Which explains why we have a General from the Air Force working with a Canadian astrophysicist." Hank pointed out.

"The humans here eventually overthrew the bad aliens and they buried Earth's Stargate. It was found in 1928, but only returned to service recently. Now, while the bad aliens were here, the Ancients were in the Pegasus Galaxy repeating what they did here, except instead of just seeding planets with plant and animal life, they also populated them with humans as well. In the process they discovered Ascension, which means they shed their corporeal bodies to become beings of pure energy."

"Huh, that sounds pretty cool, huh, Nick?" Monroe said. "You could hunt bad guys without putting anyone at risk."

Nick looked at John's impassive expression. "Somehow, I don't think it works like that."

John shook his head. "No, it doesn't, because the Ancients that Ascended adopted the Prime Directive."

"Huh?" Monroe, Rosalee, and Juliette all looked confused.

Hank took pity on them. "It means they have a hands-off, no interference policy."

Monroe looked at John. "So what does this have to do with why you're here?"

John took a deep breath before he plunged into the hard part. "In their quest for Ascension, the Ancients started experimenting to find out the quickest way to get there. Some tried to engineer devices which would speed up the process," a grimace of remembered pain crossed John's face, "while others tried genetic engineering. Unfortunately, one of their experiments created their downfall. Through the use of gene therapy, they created a species called the Wraith." He bent to change the picture on his laptop to show an image of a Queen. "The Wraith live in hives and are led by a Queen."

"Like bees."

John nodded. "Exactly, Rosalee. The Queens guide the rest and are the meanest bitches ever. They can literally read your mind and find out everything you've ever known."

"Unless you're Sheppard." Rodney looked up and chimed in. "He's Public Enemy Number One amongst the Queens for his ability to resist their interrogation techniques."

"Such resistance comes with a price though." Teyla said. "It leaves John with a serious headache for days afterward."

John rubbed the back of his neck as he drank some water then changed the image. "This is a male Wraith, called a Drone. They are the foot soldiers and workers of the hive and are the most common." He flipped pictures again. "This is a Blade. They are the higher caste males of a hive. They are dangerous and intelligent, and we believe it is one of these that we are facing."

Hank leaned forward. "Doesn't look like much. We find it, put a few bullets in it and go home."

"It's not that simple." Ronon spoke up from his corner. "Wraith regenerate. How fast depends on how well they've fed. There are only a few ways to truly kill a Wraith. Shoot it enough to turn the heart into mush, shoot it in the head or cut its head off." He stepped forward into the light. "I prefer the third option best."

Monroe raised a hand. "Okay, so if how well they eat is what helps them heal then we just find their food source."

John and his entire team looked pained for a minute.

Monroe looked from one to the other. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Teyla laid a hand on his arm. "WE are their food."

Monroe stared at her for a moment. "What, like cut us up and eat us food?"

John locked gazes with Teyla for several moments. Finally he nodded, a resigned look on his face. He knelt and tapped several keys on his laptop then stood and walked outside.

Nick was confused. John hadn't acted like this earlier. "Teyla, what's going on?"

Teyla stood, her attention focused on the door that had just closed behind John. She glanced down at the laptop and the countdown on the screen. "You will understand after this video recording. We will be back once it's over." With that, she bowed to the company and hurried after John.

Monroe looked at Nick. "What the heck?"

Rosalee pointed at the screen. "I think we're about to find out."


End file.
